Cat survives being bound, doused with gas and burned in Indiana cornfield

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ind. - Authorities are looking for whoever poured gasoline on a cat and set her on fire in an Indiana field Wednesday night, according to WXIN-TV.

Someone had bound the female cat with a rope and burned her in a cornfield near the Crawfordsville Municipal Airport, located about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

Retired firefighters Steve Wright said he was at home watching TV when he noticed a flame shoot up from the field about three to four feet high.

The cat’s paws were tied with rope, she was drenched in gasoline, and a type of firecracker had been laid on her, but it didn’t go off. Animal care workers think the cat survived because she was dropped in a puddle, which probably helped put out the fire.

Witness Steve Wright recalled seeing the cat's condition: “Very, very quiet. And it was moving slightly but being bound it couldn’t move much. And it was just the look in the eye of the kitten,” said Wright.

The cat is alert and receiving treatment at the Purdue Animal Hospital.

"Her ears are shriveled. Her fur is gone down to the skin," said Misha Anderson, Director of the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County. “She landed in a mud puddle. So I think that slowed down the fire or at least dampened her fur which caused the only flames to be gasoline so all the fur is mostly cinched.”

Tonight, Crawfordsville authorities are looking for a small silver-colored SUV with a black fender.

The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County is paying for the cat's medical expenses which are already nearing $1,000. If you'd like to help them with their medical expenses, click here. You can also stay up to date on the cat's recovery by visiting the League's Facebook page here. Anderson said Wright's neighbor, who also helped rescue the cat, has already requested to adopt the cat.